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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25078093">Sorrow and Star Dust</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAwkwardEnthusiast/pseuds/TheAwkwardEnthusiast'>TheAwkwardEnthusiast</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Miscarriage, Mutual Pining, Negotiations, Non-Sticky Sexual Interfacing, Romance, Slow Burn, Space Pirates, Sparklings, Sticky Sexual Interfacing, space travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:08:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,126</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25078093</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAwkwardEnthusiast/pseuds/TheAwkwardEnthusiast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They were sent to a remote sector of the galaxy to relay Cybertron's message of peace. But for some, the message comes too little, too late.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jazz/Soundwave</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Cybertronian war had come to a rather anti-climactic end. Instead of ending in a blaze of Decepticon glory or with the extinction of the species, it came to an abrupt halt with the signing of a peace treaty. Resources had begun running low on either side and when infighting broke out among the Decepticons and disease slowly began to spread through the Autobots, Optimus and Megatron found themselves faced with no other remedy other than an immediate ceasefire.</p><p>From there, it was all a matter of mutually beneficial bargaining.</p><p>The Autobots provided the Decepticons with much needed fuel and the Decepticon scientists with their fancy gadgets prevented a new strain of cosmic rust from wiping the Autobots off the face of the planet. For a couple of orns, there was peace. A little unsteady but it was absent of the usual cacophony of gunfire and screaming commands that called for sacrificing one’s life in the name of the cause.</p><p>So when it came time to decide whether or not the fighting would cease, it was a unanimous decision to call upon an armistice.</p><p>Well, not completely unanimous but majority ruled in the makeshift democracy they created around themselves and it translated into the departure of Earth and the inevitable rebuilding of Cybertron.</p><p>In a matter of decades, there was no more war.</p><p>But unfortunately, that didn’t mean that there was no more conflict. Though a formal transmission had been broadcast into the cosmos regarding the finalization of the war, there were still unexplored pockets of the galaxy that harbored ailing colonies of refugees and still feuding subfactions alike that the message couldn't reach.</p><p>Decepticons who had been separated from the main faction still committed atrocities in Megatron's names on remote planets. Some Autobots remained in hiding, cut off with no way for communications to reach them.</p><p>Ultimately, it was Shockwave who brought up the idea of dividing resources and sending groups of Autobot and Decepticons to relay to them the message of the signed armistice. And after orns of bickering a consensus was eventually reached and every member of the former Autobot and Decepticon high command structure gave their blessing for the project to come to fruition.</p><p>Mechs trained in diplomacy were sent forth with batches of medics and negotiators for non-risk regions. In places where intelligence was scarce, warriors were sent to protect the diplomats. Most of those enlisted into the program had names that held little recognition and their success rates were lower than anticipated. So plans were made to send in mechs with preceding reputations.</p><p>Ultra Magnus was dispatched to Pova.</p><p>Ratchet to Velocitran accompanied by the Dinobots and an overenthusiastic Wheeljack.</p><p>Jazz had been dispatched to a little remote sector called Ev-Nox. And unlike most of the other parties, his mission partner wasn’t an Autobot.</p><p>It was Soundwave.</p><p>To some, this seemed like an odd pairing. After all, they’d been locked in a bitter rivalry for the duration of the war and most of the things they’d done to one another weren’t so easily glossed over with a talk and a cup of enex.</p><p>But to the both of them, it had seriously been a long time coming.</p><p>“You’re five minutes late,” Jazz said, stepping down the ramp of the small shuttle to greet the newly arrived host mech loitering on the launch pad. “I almost left without ya.”</p><p>Soundwave’s helm tilted to one side. “Soundwave, offers an apology. Issue with cassettes, caused unprecedented delays.” He gave the plexiglass of his docking chamber a soft pat.</p><p>Jazz smiled. “I figured as much.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “But no worries. I got all that stuff you got shipped over into the cargo hold and set up all the boxes marked “personal” into your habsuite. Everything’s in order; I just have to go get the all-clear for takeoff.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Soundwave said and he sounded genuine. Jazz brushed past him to go look for the bay director and Soundwave made his way into the ship. It was smaller than he anticipated but from the looks of it, all the basic necessities were accounted for. Walking around the boxes in the cargo hold, he came upon a small hallway with two doors on each side and when he looked inside, he noticed that they were the habsuites. Again, small but they had berths and individual washracks and that was really all that they needed.</p><p>The majority of the space had apparently been reserved for the cockpit and he was secretly thankful for the comfortable chairs and plentiful arm and leg room when he sat down. He took his time to survey the array of buttons and panels on the consoles, familiarizing himself with the layout and models that he was going to be working with.</p><p>It was how Jazz found him when he sauntered back inside, the loud mechanical clicking and whirring of the closing docking ramp echoing behind.</p><p>“Pretty sweet ride, isn’t it?” Jazz said, sliding into his chair and beginning to flick levers and press several buttons. “It’s one of those old Senate rigs that used to be hidden under the Assembly in case the old Senators ever needed to boot off world. Shockwave got his hands on them and he upgraded them for us to use.” The entire ship gave a small rumble before humming to life, the console array lighting up and monitor screen booting online.</p><p>It took Soundwave a moment to realize that the navigational steering wheel was on Jazz’s side and when he did, he couldn’t help but frown slightly in disapproval.</p><p>Jazz, ever the perceptive mech, quickly caught onto his distaste and turned to look at him. “I know that look,” he said, still smiling. “It’s your ‘I’m-not-happy-but-I’m-not-gonna-say-anything-look.’”</p><p>Soundwave didn’t know how to respond to the quip. Normally, he’d shake his helm and let the subject drop but his ethics protocols were demanding that he give Jazz a response. Not because it was necessary, no; Jazz would have happily accepted his silence and continued with his usual one-sided repertoire.</p><p>But rather because Soundwave felt like a response was owed.</p><p>He knew calling his bad mood a ‘face’ was a formality. With his visor and faceplate, it was difficult to glean his exact expression. Jazz had definitely teeked his EM field and caught traces of his annoyance.</p><p>Normally, mechs would find an unsolicited teek to be the highest form of social indiscretion. But Soundwave couldn’t find it in him to be upset. It was what friends did, after all.</p><p>Not that they were friends. Soundwave considered himself and Jazz acquaintances at best. But Jazz had been the one to refer to him with such a title, back when they’d been summoned by their former leaders and tasked with finding traces of lost Decepticon colonies in forgotten space.</p><p>Prowl had been vocal of his disapproval of their partnership, citing Soundwave’s tendencies for blackmail and distortion as factors that could result in the potential deactivation of the Autobots’ most invaluable cultural expert.</p><p>Jazz’s easy-going smile had disappeared as soon as Prowl had said that and before anyone could think of responding to the accusations, the former saboteur had taken a step forward and fixed the Praxian with a cold glare.</p><p>“Get that paranoia of yours under control, Prowl.” Jazz had said, the absence of his Earth subharmonics indicating his silent fury. “The war is over.”</p><p>Prowl had stared him down with just as much vehemence, arms crossed his chest as he stood from his chair. In the dim lighting of the Assembly meeting chambers, perched on that platform several feet above the both of them, the Praxian almost resembled a member of the old Senate.</p><p>“Have you forgotten about Delta Minor?” Soundwave’s Energon had run cold in his fuel lines at those words and memories he’d hoped to forget slowly began to resurface. His audials picked up faint echoes of ghostly screams and for a brief moment, he smelled the putrid stench of freshly smelted mechs.</p><p>It had made his tanks churn and he slowly turned his helm, focusing his gaze on anything except the other mechs in the rooms.</p><p>Jazz was the only one who had been unfazed and he’d sighed heavily. “What about it?”</p><p>Prowl had grimaced. “Four hundred and fifty mechs.” He’d recited icily. “That’s how many of your men Soundwave smelted simply to prove a point about Decepticon superiority. He sent you a cube, remember? If I recall correctly, it’s still sitting underneath the broken floor panel below your berth, isn’t it? Back on the Ark?”</p><p>Soundwave had whipped his helm around to look at Jazz. The saboteur had been deathly still, visor dimmed to its lowest setting. His shoulders had shaken slightly and his EM field had been absent, carefully tucked around him like an invisible shield.</p><p>Everyone in the room had anticipated a violent reaction. Bumblebee and Ironhide had looked down at Jazz with uneasy expression, the former leaning forward in his seat as if preparing to intercept. Only Prowl had looked pleased with himself, a smug half-smile playing upon his lips.</p><p>But in the end, Jazz hadn’t attacked. He’d silently cycled a ventilation and looked up at Prowl with a defiant glimmer in his visor.</p><p>“He’s my friend,” Jazz had said and it’d taken Soundwave a moment to realize he’d been referring to him with such a title. Why Jazz would ever refer to him with such a title had completely eluded him. But he hadn't exactly interjected the notion either.</p><p>At that, Prowl’s smug expression had slowly melted into one of rage and Ironhide, hoping to avoid another confrontation, waved a dismissive hand.</p><p>“Yer ship’s in docking bay three. Supplies are gonna be sent within the quartex. You're free to go.”</p><p>Jazz had smiled in affirmation and turned around to leave, very gently placing his hand on Soundwave’s shoulder. The touch had been brief but it’d given Soundwave enough time to gauge Jazz’s intentions.</p><p>There had no ire in his touch, only a touch of sadness and perseverance. And just underneath it, the bittersweet tones of forgiveness.</p><p>It was the memory of that which prompted Soundwave to reply. “Soundwave, capable of conducing the shuttle.”</p><p>Jazz nodded. “I know. But look, Sounders. We’re heading into uncharted territory. I know you’re an ace pilot but I’d feel a whole lot better if you were manning navigation and communications. If we find ourselves in a tight spot, I’m gonna need you to lead the way out.”</p><p>It was logical reasoning. Though it did little to assuage Soundwave’s unease, he felt compelled to at least attempt an agreement.</p><p>After all, they weren’t at war anymore. The bot beside him had no ulterior motive and for once, perhaps Soundwave could place trust in another without fearing the consequences.</p><p>He cycled a ventilation, nodding once in affirmation as his hands hovered over the navigational system. “Soundwave, agrees with this plan.”</p><p>The smile Jazz offered him in return wasn’t one of his usual dazzling grins. Instead, it was softer, the corners of his mouth rising slightly. “Thanks,” he replied and he sounded like he meant it.</p><p>The comm system gave a small buzz of static and Jazz reached over to receive the incoming message. “This is Jazz,” he said.</p><p>“You’re clear for launch,” was the reply. “Follow the path I told you about and keep your nav computer offline until you clear the airspace. Our instruments don’t exactly get along in such close proximity and tech support isn’t coming in til later in the orn.”</p><p>Jazz laughed. “Sure thing. Thanks!”</p><p>A small harrumph sounded before the line went dead. Soundwave leaned forward to prepare the navigational module, thankful that Shockwave had thought of implementing Decepticon technology into the mainframe. The controls were familiar and within seconds, he was plugged in.</p><p>He warmed up the hyperdrive and began calibrating a pre-emptive trajectory to their mission coordinates. Ev-Nox was further away than the Milky Way, almost twice the distance. Even with a hyperdrive, they’d be cutting it close with their current fuel levels so he consulted his own archives and found a small fueling station along their route.</p><p>
  <em>Isn’t that the one that sells really good rust sticks?</em>
</p><p>Soundwave briefly paused at the sound of Ravage’s voice. <em>Affirmative. </em></p><p>He continued with his planning, fingers tapping the console keypads as he inputted the necessary data. Ravage let out a small chuckle through the quantum bond, amused by the fact that Soundwave remembered something as simple as treats. He was the only awake of all the other symbionts and Soundwave was grateful for the small mercy.</p><p>Not that he didn’t enjoy the company of the others but wasn’t in the mood to be pulled into an impromptu game of “I Spy.”</p><p>“Soundwave?”</p><p>Startled out of his musings, Soundwave turned to look at Jazz in confusion. Jazz had pulled up a holodisplay of what appeared to be the ship’s registry. The list of all their supplies was extensive and for a brief klik, Soundwave assumed Jazz wanted to go over everything one last time.</p><p>But then he noticed the large small blinking cursor situated above the list. It was where the name of the ship was supposed to go.</p><p>And it was blank.</p><p>Soundwave stiffened.</p><p>“It needs a name,” Jazz said softly, lifting a shoulder up and down in a shrug. “Got any ideas?”</p><p>Immediately, <em>Nemesis</em> came to mind. Soundwave had been the one to suggest the designation of the former Decepticon warship and everyone, even Starscream had voiced their approval of such a daunting name.</p><p>But the name now carried unsavory connotations and Soundwave doubted it would serve the purpose of their mission.</p><p>“What about the <em>Millennium Falcon</em>?” Jazz asked when Soundwave's silence stretched on, wiggling his fingers. “It’s got a nice ring to it.”</p><p>Soundwave resisted the urge to sigh. “Negative.”</p><p>“<em>Enterprise</em>?”</p><p>The pop culture references weren’t lost on Soundwave and he immediately shook his helm. “Negative. Star Trek names, prohibited.”</p><p>“You’re no fun,” Jazz huffed, leaning back in his chair with his lower lip sticking out in a pout.</p><p>Soundwave’s lips gave the barest of twitches. He took a moment to survey the ship around him, looking for something that could offer some inspiration. After a few moments, he found it.</p><p>“<em>Tranquility</em>,” he said softly, appreciating the way the syllables rolled off his glossa.</p><p>Jazz perked up at the name, visor brightening in obvious approval. “<em>Tranquility</em>,” he repeated, testing it himself. He hummed thoughtfully. “I like it.” He typed it into the system and the name appeared on the registry.</p><p>It was official.</p><p>Grinning from audial to audial, Jazz reached for the comm unit. After the usual buzz of static, the same voice responded. “Jazz?”</p><p>“Nah, mech. This is the <em>Tranquility. </em>Requesting clearance for takeoff.”</p><p>A pause. “But I already granted you clearance.”</p><p>Jazz rolled his optics. “Play along, Hardtop. I finally gave this bucket of bolts a name.”</p><p>“...Fine.” Hardtop let out a heavy sigh. “This is flight control. We read you <em>Tranquility</em>; you’re clear to depart.”</p><p>“Acknowledged,” Jazz was practically vibrating in his seat as he began to pilot the ship out of the launch bay. It was hard to tell if it was because he was excited about the idea of traveling or the newly minted name of the ship.</p><p><em>Neither. </em>Ravage said, amused. When Soundwave sent a small data burst asking him to elaborate, Ravage was suspiciously silent.</p><p>“You ready?” Jazz asked once they’d cleared the planetary traffic and emerged into the navy-blue expanse of space.</p><p>Soundwave hesitated. He could feel Ravage hovering on the periphery of the bond, watching the exchange with a little too much curiosity for Soundwave’s liking. “Affirmative,” he said and activated the hyperdrive.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You just had to put your faith in old Decepticon archives, didn't ya?”</p><p>Soundwave’s shoulders tensed and he turned his seat around, facing away from the blue symbiont currently occupying Jazz’s piloting chair. The datapad in his hands continued with its monotonous beep, the navigation system struggling to find an operating fueling station near their destination.</p><p>He pressed a couple buttons on the console, hoping to speed things along.</p><p>The ship had run out of fuel at the exact point that Soundwave had anticipated but the fueling station that he’d planned to stop at had apparently gone out of business some time ago. An abandoned rusting building stood where the intergalactic bar had once been and every fueling pump had been stripped dry of every drop of fuel.</p><p>Jazz had still insisted on going out to explore, fuel canister in hand and an impatient Ravage nipping at his heels. The other cassettes had remained in Soundwave’s habsuite though Soundwave had a sneaking suspicion Frenzy was currently scouring through Jazz’s.</p><p>“Rumble, impertinent.”</p><p>“Am I, Boss?” Rumble propped his feet up on the console. “Or am I just stating the obvious?”</p><p>Soundwave glared at the symbiont over his shoulder. Rumble merely grinned in return.</p><p>Frenzy stuck his head out of Jazz’s habsuite, an unamused expression on his face. “He’s not gonna let you recharge in the docking chamber if you keep on being a smart-aft, Rumble.”</p><p>“He wouldn’t dare.” Rumble retorted, pushing off the console to turn the chair towards his twin. “I’m his favorite.”</p><p>“In your dreams,” Frenzy stuck out his glossa.</p><p>Rumble responded with an obscene finger gesture but promptly hid it when Soundwave turned to look at Frenzy.</p><p>“Frenzy, suggestion: leave Jazz’s habsuite alone.”</p><p>Frenzy frowned. “I’m not doing anything bad.”</p><p>“Sure, you aren’t,” Rumble sneered. “Just going through his box of toys and compiling blackmail.”</p><p>Frenzy’s optics widened behind his visor. “He’s got a toy box?!” He whispered, peering down the hallway to make sure the saboteur wasn’t in the vicinity.  “Where?”</p><p>“Not telling,” Rumble said, twirling the chair back to face the console. Despite Soundwave’s obvious disapproval of the subject matter, Rumble seemed to be enjoying Frenzy’s morbid curiosity a little too much.</p><p>“Bro, you’ve gotta tell me!”</p><p>“I don’t have to do anything.”</p><p>“But he’s sleeping just a few nanometers away from us! With this kinda blackmail we can sleep easy without worrying about him sneaking into our room and stabbing us while we recharge.”</p><p>Rumble rolled his optics. “<em>You’re</em> the one sneaking into his room. If anything, <em>he’s</em> the one who’s gonna have to collect some dirt on ya.”</p><p>Frenzy grimaced, socking Rumble in the arm. “What’s that mean? You gonna tell on me?”</p><p>“Nah,” Rumble pointed his nose up to the air. “The stink in his room is gonna give it away.”</p><p>“Give what away?” Frenzy let out a scream at the sound of Jazz’s voice and dove underneath the console while Rumble went deathly still in his seat. Soundwave glanced over his shoulder to see Jazz entering the cockpit, smudges of dark purple dirt and a few light scratches marring his finish.</p><p>“Jazz,” Soundwave said, taking in the former saboteur’s appearance. “Difficulties, encountered?”</p><p>Jazz set the canister on the floor and spread his arms. “Is it that obvious?” He glanced down and huffed as took note of just how dirty his frame was. Ravage strolled in behind him, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.</p><p>“He made me dig,” Ravage hissed, optics narrowed disapprovingly.</p><p>Rumble tsked. “Did ya find anything useful, at least?”</p><p>Ravage whipped his helm around to glare at him and twin, upper lips curling into the beginning of a snarl. Frenzy remained underneath the console but Rumble held the feline’s gaze, holding his ground until Ravage rolled his optics and subspaced a small silver packet. He threw it at Rumble but Frenzy jumped out at the last moment to intercept it.</p><p>“Hey!” Rumble hissed, jumping out of the chair and tackling his twin. The two of them descended into a ball of flailing limbs and Soundwave could do nothing but watch them, a defeated sigh lingering in his vents.</p><p>Jazz stepped aside to avoid them as they tussled around the floor and returned his attention to Soundwave. “We got enough fuel to at least get us into the next galaxy,” he stated. He pulled out a small crinkled paper and squinted at it. “From the navigational pamphlets that were left over in the building, there should be a couple inhabited planets with fueling stations we can find there...”</p><p>“That is good news,” Soundwave replied, dipping his helm. He gave the datapad in his hand a little wave. “Soundwave, apologizes for the navigational miscalculation.”</p><p>Jazz chuckled. “No worries. None of us could have anticipated this pit stop being a dead end.” He smiled. “At the very least, we can update our star maps and let other bots know not to depend on it.”</p><p>Soundwave nodded. “Affirmative.” Out of the corner of his optic, he noticed Frenzy edging his way behind his chair, one hand extended upwards with the box held securely in his grasp. With the other, he kept a snarling Rumble at bay.</p><p>Pursing his lips, Soundwave plucked the box out of Frenzy’s hand and analyzed the packaging. It was a box of rust sticks, still sealed.</p><p>“Boss! Ravage gave it to <em>me</em>!” Rumble whined, reaching up his hands. “It's mine!”</p><p>Frenzy shoved him out of the way. “I got my hands on it first!”</p><p>Rumble bared his dentae at him, a growl rumbling in his throat. Before the two of them could launch themselves at each other’s intakes again, Soundwave proceeded to snap the package open and dump the contents into his palm. The sticks were thin pieces of nickel coated with salty red-brown flakes of rust.</p><p>Doing the math in his processor, Soundwave proceeded to divvy them up and handed Rumble and Frenzy their respected portions. A couple were set aside for the sleeping aerials in the habsuite and the rest went to Ravage, who stepped forward to receive them with a happy purr.</p><p>“Thanks,” the feline purred, tail swishing happily behind him. “Still as good as I remember.”</p><p>Soundwave caught sight of Jazz looking appreciatively at the box in his hand and he tilted his helm inquisitively. “Would Jazz like one?”</p><p>Jazz’s helm jerked back a bit as if he hadn’t noticed he was staring and promptly shook his helm. “Nah, mech. Save the rest for the fliers.” He picked up the fuel canister. “I’m gonna go fill up the ship’s tanks so we can get moving.” With that, Jazz turned around and left.</p><p>Ravage watched him go then turned to look at Soundwave with a soft twitch of his ears. “Well, that was rude,” he said good-naturedly.</p><p>Beside him, Soundwave heard Rumble and Frenzy murmur their approval.</p><p><em>What? </em>Soundwave asked over the quantum bond, perplexed.</p><p>“Rust sticks are one of his favorite snacks,” Ravage supplied, giving himself a brief shake. “He used to collect the boxes as a youngling.”</p><p>The boxes. Soundwave glanced at the one in his hand. It was a simple metal cube with the manufacturers logo stamped on the side. Though shiny when held up to the light, Soundwave couldn’t quite gauge what would make them collectable.</p><p>But that wasn’t exactly the issue at hand. “Soundwave, acknowledges discourtesy.”</p><p>“Hm.” Ravage huffed, “that’s a start.”</p><p>The door to Soundwave’s habsuite promptly slid open and a bleary looking Buzzsaw glided out, Lazerbeak following not long after. Unlike Rumble and Frenzy, the aerials were much more patient and they landed on the seat handles, waiting for their portion of the treats to be provided to them.</p><p>Soundwave crumpled up a couple of the rust sticks and sprinkled them into the palm of his hand, holding it up to the aerials. Both began to softly peck the pieces up, voicing their approval of the taste through minute flickers of warmth across the bond.</p><p>When they finished, Soundwave noticed that there was still one rust stick left. He took it out of the box, intent on crushing it but Lazerbeak shook her helm.</p><p><em>We’re satisfied. </em>She responded softly.</p><p>Rumble mumbled something that sounded like an objection but Frenzy roughly elbowed him and he went silent.</p><p>Soundwave could tell they weren’t completely honest but he didn’t push them. Instead, he subspaced what was left of the snacks and returned to his original task. The cassettes had the decency not to engage in any more conflicts and meandered back to Soundwave’s habsuite.</p><p>Jazz came back moments later, wiping his hands with an air of satisfaction and smelling faintly of shuttle fuel. “Only got half of the fuel tanks filled but it’s better than nothing.” He offered Soundwave a gratuitous smile. “Be sure to let Ravage know that I appreciated his help. I’ll make up for the whole digging aspect next time we make port.”</p><p>“Soundwave, will relay the message.”</p><p>Jazz turned his attention to the control console. “I’m gonna need to take a quick trip into the washracks to get all this mud off me. Mind takin’ the wheel and getting us off this rock?”</p><p>“Affirmative,” Soundwave said, subconsciously attempting to mimic the relaxed subharmonics that Jazz used so seamlessly. “Jazz, need not worry.”</p><p>Jazz grinned. “Wasn’t planning to.” He gave the back of the pilot seat a farewell pat and made his way to his habsuite. Faintly, Soundwave could hear the creak of the temperature knobs and the overhead thundered softly as the solvent made its way from the reservoir tank through the pipes.</p><p>Shaking his helm slightly, Soundwave focused on rebooting the navigation system and slid into the piloting seat. It was almost second nature to plug into the system and get the ship moving.</p><p>Once the stars began to whizz past on the monitor screen, the feeling of unease that had been coiling in his tanks finally seemed to disappear.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soundwave awoke to the sensation of a hand tapping the plexiglass cover of his docking chamber. When his visor booted online, he came face to face with Frenzy, who was peering down at him with an expectant look on his features.</p><p>“You’re awake,” he said, jumping onto the berth to give Soundwave room to sit up.</p><p>“Affirmative,” Soundwave replied, rubbing his helm to help ease the grogginess of recharge away. He checked his chronometer. It was his turn to take watch and it looked like he’d been dangerously close to oversleeping.</p><p>He sent a pulse of gratitude over the bond to Frenzy and rose from the berth. The other cassettes were still deep in recharge so Soundwave was careful to not make too much noise on his way out of the habsuite.</p><p>The ship’s lights were mercifully dim and the monitor screen offered a bright blue glow that guided Soundwave up towards his seat in the cockpit.</p><p>Jazz was leaning back in the pilot’s chair, one foot propped up on the console and nursing a bright pink cube in his hands. He raised the cube in greeting without taking his eyes off the screens.</p><p>“Sleep alright?”</p><p>Soundwave nodded.</p><p>Jazz jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I got a box of prepackaged Energon cubes in the cargo hold if you need to refuel. They don’t taste too great but they get the job done.” He took a sip of his cube and smacked his lips together quietly. “Or if you’re looking for a more potent boost, Bluestreak gave me a vial of Praxian enex just before we left.”</p><p>It wasn’t the first time Jazz had offered Soundwave the imbibe. Approximately five Earth days had passed since they’d left the rundown station and they’d been largely uneventful. They’d navigated through an asteroid field but it’d been so small that Soundwave had been able to maneuver the ship through it in a matter of nanoseconds. From then, they’d agreed to take turns keeping watch and Soundwave had quickly learned that Jazz did not do well with lack of action. His chipper mood dissolved into something resembling indifference and he took to heavily charged drinks to keep himself busy.</p><p>“Offer, appreciated.” Soundwave said softly. “Energon, will suffice.”</p><p>Jazz hummed but said nothing else. That too was another thing Soundwave noticed. Jazz had grown a lot less talkative. Normally, this would lead to prolonged awkward silences but Soundwave had spent enough orns enduring Megatron’s silent tantrums and Starscream’s wordless duplicity to have grown accustomed to such quiet.</p><p>The ship’s autopilot was turned on so Soundwave didn’t have to do much other than check the navigation system and fuel levels. The former was on course to their designation but the fuel levels were hovering dangerously low.</p><p>“Shuttle, in need of fuel,” Soundwave announced.</p><p>Jazz leaned to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the fuel gauge. He grimaced. “Slag, I didn’t catch that.” Immediately, his morose air disappeared and his visor brightened significantly as he brought up their starmap on the holo display. It was a zoomed out view of the galaxy, with only a couple red dots to indicate the major systems.</p><p>“Looks like we’re on the outskirts of the Gpii system,” Jazz reported, zooming in on the tiny blue blip indicating their location. A couple swipes later, the map came alive with several other blips of color and Jazz began pressing on the few that were near their position.</p><p>“We’ve got two planets and one asteroid, all inhabited. Lenocinum, Syndromica and Iota’s Point.” Jazz turned to look at Soundwave, a confused look on his face. “They’re not pinging any positives on my Autobot archives. Y’know any of these places?”</p><p>Soundwave knew only two. Iota’s Point was an intergalactic rest stop owned by a group of non-affiliated Nebulons. At first, the stop had been peaceful but Megatron had mistaken their polite generosity for allegiance and extorted the owners into making it a Decepticon smuggling point. Weapons mostly though a clerical error had allowed some of Swindle’s contraband to make its way through there.</p><p>Needless to say, if the same Nebulons were still present, they wouldn’t take kindly to Soundwave’s presence. Much less if they were informed of what the Decepticon had done to Nebulon.</p><p>Syndromica was inhabited but most of the organisms there were ones similar to the ones that existed during the Earth’s Cretaceous period. Sentient but intellectually incapable of having created anything resembling a working civilization.</p><p>As for Lenocinum, Soundwave had no record of it in his Decepticon database.</p><p>A quick tertiary scan revealed a dark grey outer crust and strategically placed clusters of light that indicated there was an organized civilization there. But the scan gave little information on anything else.</p><p>Still, as the humans said, it was the lesser of three evils.</p><p>“Lenocinum,” Soundwave decided, after relaying his knowledge of the planets to the saboteur. “Inhabitants’ species, unknown. Probability of hostilities towards Cybertronians: low.”</p><p>Jazz frowned. “I dunno. Our reputation has a nasty way of preceding us.”</p><p>“Affirmative. But fuel, a necessity that is worth the risk.”</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right.” Jazz acceded. “Changing coordinates.” He inputted the new coordinates and the ship gave a small lurch as it slowed down and changed direction. Within the hour, the planet was on their periphery and the peace of the past few days was replaced by a sense of cautious foreboding.</p><p>Ravage emerged from the shadows of the cargohold and sat down behind them, ears perked. “What’s going on?”</p><p>“Pit stop!” Jazz said cheerily. “We’re running low on fuel.”</p><p>The feline let out a heavy exvent. “Please tell me this one isn’t going to turn out like the last one. I’m still digging particles of that purple dirt out of my seams.”</p><p>Jazz snorted. “Nah, Rav. This one is gonna be better. I promise.”</p><p>Ravage’s optics narrowed. “I’ve heard that before.”</p><p>---</p><p>The first thing everyone noticed as they made their way through the planet’s atmosphere, was the planet was definitely in business. The closer they got, the more they could see the moving vehicles traversing through the air and the large spherical buildings that stuck out of the ground like skyscrapers. Though simplistic in structure, the presence of biolights and holodisplays indicated that the inhabitants were technologically savvy.</p><p>Jazz activated the <em>Tranquility</em>’s welcoming beacon and within moments of the signal’s transmittance, they received a reply. It was a burst of static followed by what sounded like organic gargling.</p><p>Soundwave’s translator wasn’t able to decipher the language and judging by the confused look he shared with Jazz and Ravage, they couldn’t either.</p><p>Regardless, Jazz attempted to reply. “Lenocinum, this the <em>Tranquility</em> requesting permission to dock our ship. We’re in need of fuel and supplies and have the credits trade what we have for our necessities. Over.”</p><p>Silence and then a single cough sounded. “Ship need dock?” The Basic being spoken was broken but it was understandable.</p><p>Face lighting up, Jazz nodded. “Yeah, you got a space port we can use? We’re manning a small shuttle.”</p><p>“Oh, yes! Me see! Dock location, sent to ship. Land safe!” The navigational system pinged as it received the coordinates and the autopilot immediately maneuvered the ship to follow.</p><p>Jazz turned to Soundwave. “So, how are we gonna do this?”</p><p>Ravage took a step forward. “I am going.”</p><p>Soundwave nodded. “Ravage, Lazerbeak, will accompany Jazz and Soundwave to the surface. Rest of symbionts, will remain to guard the ship.”</p><p>On cue, the rest of the symbionts ran out of the room, just in time to see the ship dock itself moments before the fuel gauge hovered over the 1% marker. The monitor screen went black and the lights turned out as the shuttle immediately went dark to conserve what little power was left.</p><p>Everyone turned up the intensity of their optics, the combined light providing just enough coverage to allow Jazz and Soundwave to rise to their feet.</p><p>“Do we really have to stay behind?” Rumble asked.</p><p>“Yes.” Ravage softly smacked the back of his head with the tip of his tail. “You and Frenzy aren’t exactly diplomat material.”</p><p>“Neither is Lazerbeak!” Frenzy countered. “She can’t even talk!”</p><p>The aerial, perched on Soundwave’s shoulder, let out a squawk of indignation.</p><p>Jazz reached out to pet the top of her head, calming her down before she launched herself at the red and black symbiont. “He was just kidding, Beaky. You’re the absolute best conversationalist I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.”</p><p>Lazerbeak preened at that and even when her peers cast her dirty looks as Soundwave walked past them, the happy look on her face remained.</p><p>The ramp opened up to bright grey light, a sharp contrast to the darkness of the shuttle and all four bots quickly adjusted their optics opacity.</p><p>Nobody was there to meet them so Jazz took a few steps forward to scope out the terrain. When his scans picked up nothing to be alarmed about he waved Soundwave and the others down the ramp. All of them were on the alert but it was ultimately Ravage who was the most astute. He raised his nose to the air and after a careful sniff, his optics widened and he crouched into a defensive position.</p><p>“Up ahead.” He hissed, gaze fixing on the horizon. “Something’s coming.”</p><p>Sure enough, across the empty launch pad was a pair of large buildings and between them a walkway. A round projectile was racing towards them, rolling at an alarmingly high speed across the flat surface.</p><p>Jazz’s wrist flicked and a vibroblade appeared in his hand which he kept it hidden behind his torso. Soundwave activated his shoulder canon, targeting systems locking onto the unidentified object and preparing to fire.</p><p>The projectile seemed to detect their intent to attack because it suddenly came to a halt a couple meters away. It was close enough that they could see the odd scale-like features adorning its surface. But before anyone could say anything, it gave one last wiggle and popped open.</p><p>It was a creature and an odd looking one at that.</p><p>It had a large armored head with two segmented antennae that wiggled with gusto as it surveyed them. Two black eyes blinked blearily and a pair of jaws hung open in a weird grotesque smile. It had several pairs of legs and arms, the top pair layered over each other in an expectant manner.</p><p>Jazz let out a soft huff. “I don’t believe it.” He muttered, low enough so only Soundwave and Ravage could hear. “It’s a slaggin’ isopod.”</p><p>The giant isopod squinted its eyes up at them, hissing softly. “Cybertronian. The elders said you dead.” By the sound of their voice, Soundwave assumed this was the creature that had addressed them over the comms.</p><p>Subspacing his vibroblade, Jazz shrugged apologetically. “Sorry to disappoint.”</p><p>“Disappoint, yes. History books will need editing. Lots time to fix.” It waved their arms enthusiastically. “But Cybertronian big! Need lots fuel. Orin sell lots fuel. Best fuel!”</p><p>The creature reached a hand behind its back, digging for something underneath one of their scales. It pulled out a datapad, one that looked oddly similar to the ones on the <em>Tranquility. </em></p><p>Typing something into it, the creature then printed a small piece of paper and beckoned Jazz to lean down to their level. The saboteur complied and the creature handed him the paper.</p><p>“Pass to trade plaza. You get fuel there.” They looked at Soundwave with a more guarded expression but extended a similar paper to him. “Pod take care of ship!”</p><p>Jazz tilted his helm. “Pod?”</p><p>The creature put a pair of hands on their hips, jutting its chest proudly. “Me Pod.”</p><p>“Oh!” Jazz nodded. “Of course. Well, thanks Pod!” He stepped aside to allow the isopod through and it scurried over and began examining the ship.</p><p>Through the quantum bond, Rumble sent a questioning <em>“what the slag?”</em> when Pod tapped on the closed docking ramp and Soundwave filled him in on the situation. None of the symbionts remaining behind seemed too keen about having a nosy dock worker snooping around but Soundwave reassured them that so long as the ship remained locked, Pod wouldn’t be able to do much damage.</p><p>Rumble told him not to take too long. Soundwave reassured him that they would be back on course within the solar cycle.</p><p>---</p><p>“They’re kinda cute, y’know?”</p><p>Soundwave winced, unable to concur with Jazz’s sentiment. He’d seen plenty of underwater isopods during his time in the Decepticon underwater base and he’d always found their physical appearance very disconcerting. He knew they were harmless but more than once he’d woken up from recharge to find one lounging on the floor of his chambers as if it owned the place.</p><p>He’d never prepared himself for the possibility of a planet completely inhabited by these creatures.</p><p>Lenocinum’s architecture was simple and geometric, huge half spheres and cubes with bright lights dotted the landscape and a puzzle of walkways connected them together. It was a place that would have been easy to get lost in but the slip of paper that Pod had given them mapped out the way to the so-called trading plaza.</p><p>They saw no other species loitering in the streets and every single isopod that saw them was quick to scatter out of the way and look at them with awe. Jazz waved at them with a smile on his face and though few seemed to understand the gesture, they mimicked it right back to him.</p><p>“You’re enjoying this far too much,” Ravage said.</p><p>“Hey, I’m just showing them my gratitude,” Jazz replied. “These little guys are bein’ awfully hospitable.”</p><p>“They haven’t given us what we need yet,” Ravage reminded him. “Until we actually get our hands on the fuel from this Orin character, we need to keep our guard up.”</p><p>“Don’t tell me these little guys scare you?”</p><p>Ravage grimaced. “Hardly. But it would be foolish to underestimate them.” He lowered his voice as they walked by another group of curious isopods. “For such primitive creatures, they have an alarming understanding of advanced technology.”</p><p>Soundwave hummed his agreement. “Lenocinum, not listed in Cybertronian archives. But inhabitants, possess knowledge of Cybertronian language.”</p><p>That made Jazz pause a little but instead of looking surprised, he looked relieved. “So you noticed too, huh?”</p><p>“Affirmative. Ravage’s warnings, must be upheld.”</p><p>“I know,” Jazz said. He pursed his lips and glanced around. “But there ain’t no harm in hoping these guys are just being naturally friendly.”</p><p>Soundwave could sympathize with that particular sentiment but he kept quiet once they arrived at their destination. Plaza was too gracious a term because it made the place out to be bigger than it actually was.</p><p>A small dome shaped building with revolving doors from which isopods wandered in empty handed and came out with trinkets and treats that looked unfamiliar to even Soundwave. Jazz slipped in through one door fluidly but Soundwave’s broad shoulders and tall stature forced him to crouch down and inch his way through.</p><p>Inside, the dome was dimly lit and what looked suspiciously like a colorful disco ball reflected the colorful beams of light shining upon it throughout the spacious room. Vendor stalls were scattered around and on the opposite end of where they were standing, a large bar was serving a variety of drinks and treats.</p><p>The air hummed with energy, some organic and others decidedly artificial.</p><p>At Soundwave’s feet, Ravage growled. “So now what do we do?”</p><p>Jazz glanced down at him. “What else? We mingle.”</p><p>Ravage spat. “I’m not going anywhere near those creatures.” He looked at Soundwave, motioning for Lazerbeak to come down and join him. The aerial had been decidedly quiet on the way down and she looked uncomfortable as she landed on Ravage’s back.</p><p>“We are going to do some scouting,” Ravage announced. “See if we can find this Orin.” He paused. “Since the both of you are more suited for conversation, you can go...mingle.” With that, he turned around and slunk off into the shadows.</p><p>Jazz stepped closer to Soundwave, covering the space that Ravage had occupied before his departure. “Not much for socializing, is he?”</p><p>“Negative,” Soundwave said. He refrained to mention that neither was he but Jazz was no doubt already aware of that.</p><p>“We should go check out the bar,” Jazz said. “Blend in, try to get some info out of the locals.”</p><p>There were two empty seats in front of what Soundwave assumed to be the bartender and they sat down, though it was a bit of a tight fit since they weren’t sized for mechs of their bulk.</p><p>The bartender turned its beady eyes on them, narrowing them slightly. It chittered something at them in its language and upon receiving no reply, it switched to Basic.</p><p>“Need fuel?”</p><p>Jazz leaned as best he could over the counter, grinning one of those dazzling smiles of his. “Anything with fluoride would be good.”</p><p>The pill bug grumbled. “And for mate?”</p><p>“Mate?” Jazz echoed, confused.</p><p>It pointed at Soundwave.</p><p>Jazz was silent for a moment and then his visor flashed and suddenly he was leaning against Soundwave, hands curling over one of the telepath’s. His smile widened. “The same, if you don’t mind.” He tried to offer a couple of credits as payment but the isopod shook its head and told them they were gifts.</p><p>Something about the display seemed to brighten up the isopod’s mood because it flicked its antennae and went to work on preparing their drinks further along down the bar. Jazz carefully pulled back enough so that while it still looked like he and Soundwave were pressed up against one another, there was an inch or so of space between them.</p><p>“Sorry about that,” Jazz said under his breath.</p><p>“Soundwave, does not mind. However, explanation is required.”</p><p>Jazz smiled. “It’s just something I remembered watching on one of those nature shows back on Earth. Isopods are semelparous, which means they only produce offspring once in their life. So they’re very particular about who they chose to mate with.” He shrugged. “I figured that, being similar, these guys would share the same values. And it looks like I was right.”</p><p>“Jazz, operated on an assumption.” Soundwave shook his helm slightly, amused.</p><p>“Guess I did,” Jazz said, glancing up at him. “But hey, it worked didn’t it?”</p><p>Before Soundwave could reply, the bartender returned with two abnormally large fizzy drinks. They glowed bright blue and the top was frothy with bubbles that smelled faintly of halogen.</p><p>Soundwave stared at them warily. Jazz, however, was quick to grab a glass and take a sip.</p><p>“SpecOps mechs have stronger fuel tanks than most,” he explained, wincing as the strong aftertaste of the imbibe invaded his glossa. He coughed, patting his chest. “Though I doubt even my tank can handle whatever the slag this is.” Another cough, this time one that made Jazz's visor brighten in surprise. “Don’t drink that.”</p><p>Suddenly, another isopod walked up to them from behind. This one had scars marring its midsection and one antenna that was shorter than the other. It motioned for Soundwave to follow, speaking in that language neither of them could understand.</p><p>The bartender saw what was happening and immediately came rushing over, shaking a fist at its peer. They chittered angrily between themselves, the bartender gesturing between Soundwave and Jazz while the new arrival shook its head and gestured to something outside.</p><p>Eventually, it seemed the new arrival won the argument because the bartender went silent.</p><p>“Orin has fuel.” The scarred isopod said. “Need one to retrieve fuel.”</p><p>Jazz beamed. “We can both pick it up if you’d like. Don’t want you to strain yourself carrying—.”</p><p>“No,” the isopod said, cutting Jazz off. “Only one.” It quickly added, “fuel tanks big, very big. Only big Cybertronian can lift.”</p><p>Jazz looked surprised, and a little offended, at the insinuation that he was incapable of lifting a fuel container. But he didn’t voice any objections. Turning to Soundwave, he gently shoved him up out of his seat. “What you waitin’ for, Sounders? Go get ‘em.”</p><p>“Jazz, sure?”</p><p>The saboteur propped his elbow up on the table, chin resting in the palm of his hand. “Just go. The sooner you do this, the faster we can be on our way.”</p><p>Soundwave nodded and proceeded to follow the scarred isopod outside of the plaza. As soon as they stepped outside, the isopod sped up its pace and began to lead Soundwave through the streets. At first, they went through busy areas but soon found themselves traveling along secluded paths with little to no foot traffic.</p><p>A small beep sounded in Soundwave’s audial, alerting him of an incoming transmission. He stopped. “Soundwave, acknowledges.”</p><p>“Boss,” it was Ravage and he sounded oddly upbeat. “We did it. We found him.”</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Orin,” Ravage said. “He owns a repair ship a block north from the plaza. It’s swarming with customers but Laserbeak confirmed that he does have plenty of shuttle fuel in his inventory.”</p><p>Soundwave’s steps faltered slightly at the information, coming to a complete halt. The scarred isopod turned to look at him with a questioning wave of its antennas.</p><p>“Must hurry.” It said, beckoning. “Fuel, this way.”</p><p>“Negative.” Soundwave intoned coldly, hands curling into fists at his side. His battlecomputer hummed to life as he closed the distance them and loomed over the isopod, dropping all sense of polite formalities. “You, are not Orin.”</p><p>“No!” It screeched, taking several steps back. “Must follow! Must follow!” It sounded truly panicked.</p><p>Soundwave tried Jazz’s comm line, intent on alerting the saboteur of the transpiring events but all he received in return was static. Alarmed, Soundwave turned on his heel and ran back towards the plaza, weaving his way through the streets and the pedestrians underfoot.</p><p>When he arrived, the plaza was still as active as ever and there were no signs that anything was amiss. Until Soundwave stepped inside.</p><p>The vending stalls were still in place, the ball of light shining spinning bright up above. Even the bar remained as it was, bustling with patrons. But the blue drinks and empty seats were gone.</p><p>And Jazz was nowhere to be seen.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I got most of the planet names from other TF continuities. But I promise they are completely different, at least for this particular fic.</p><p>Also, thank you so much for the kudos and comments! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jazz liked to think he had a decent threshold when it came to pain. After all, his long tenure as commander of the Autobot SpecOps unit (and as one of the Decepticons’ Most Wanted) had made it an essential requirement.</p><p>However, that didn’t mean he was completely immune. He still felt it, particularly when it came when he was least expecting it.</p><p>One moment, he’d been sitting and watching Soundwave’s back as he left with that isopod and then the next there’d been complete and utter darkness. Now, there was pain, the kind that struck deep into his struts and made all his dormant systems jumpstart to life with a vengeance.</p><p>His visor booted online and he winced as a bright white light flooded his vision. Something dug into his side, producing another jolt of searing hot pain that made his back arch. Quickly, he sat up, grabbing what had been digging into his side and crushing it between his fingers.</p><p>Turning his helm, he noticed an isopod holding the end of what appeared to be some sort of energy prod through the cell bars.</p><p>Jazz resisted the urge to groan when realization hit him, letting go of the broken weapon when the isopod began to chitter angrily. It appeared that he’d allowed himself to get captured. It had to be the drinks, he reasoned. That odd fuzzy feeling in his tanks was still present and none of his internal systems seemed to be able to recognize the composition of what he’d drunk.</p><p>Whatever it was, Jazz had never encountered it.</p><p>He looked around, grimacing at the smooth silver walls that encased him. On either side were bars with narrow gaps in between, allowing him view of what appeared to be a manufacturing dock of some sort. Isopods skittered around, eyeing him warily and carrying large pieces of tech to be placed into containers bearing similarities to the one Jazz was inside of.</p><p>Standing up, he checked himself for any injuries and was satisfied to see that apart from a couple scratches, he was fine. His weapons were gone, however, including the ones he’d kept in his subspace.</p><p>That triggered several alarm bells inside his head. Ravage had been right, these guys certainly had extensive knowledge about technology, particularly Cybertronians.</p><p>“Awake.” The isopod that had zapped him was talking now, using the same broken Cybertronian basic Pod and the others had used.</p><p>“Yeah,” Jazz retorted, hands resting on his waist. “Getting zapped will do that to a mech.”</p><p>“Energy, nonlethal.” It informed him, throwing the broken energy prod on the floor. “Meant to wake.”</p><p>Jazz flashed it a dangerous smile. “Well consider that your first big mistake. I’m more dangerous when I’m awake.”</p><p>“No.” It stamped its foot, shaking its head with vehemence. “Not dangerous. Jep, took dangerous one away.”</p><p>“Y’mean Soundwave?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>Jazz simply stared. “You’re kidding me, right?” He walked up to the bars of the cell, careful not to touch them when he felt tiny wavelengths of energy emanating from them. The bug barely reached up to his waist and it had to take a few steps back to be able to look him fully in the optics. “Do you know who I am?”</p><p>“Cybertronian.” The vehemence with which the word was said surprised Jazz and his smile fell when the isopod shook one of its hands at him. “Cybertronian kill.”</p><p>Holding up his hands in surrender, Jazz shook his head. “Hold up. I haven’t killed anyone. Me and my crew barely arrived a couple orns ago.”</p><p>That did little to deter the bug’s anger. “Not you,” it conceded. “Your kind.”</p><p>Jazz winced. Looks like he’d been right about their reputation preceding them. Cybertron may not have heard of the Linocenums or their planet but they’d certainly heard (and experienced) plenty about them. Despite the circumstances, Jazz found himself feeling sympathy for them and whatever wrongs they’d endured as a result of the Cybertronian war.</p><p>He’d known that taking a mission like this would have put him in this kind of situation but anticipating was different than experiencing it.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he said and the words sounded remarkably flat to his audials. It certainly did little to sway the little creature threatening him on the other side of the bars because it threw a particularly nasty hiss at him.</p><p>Jazz took a step back, more out of courtesy than actual fear. That seemed to placate the isopod because its flaring mandibles finally relaxed and the stiffness in its back dissolved. But then the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the chamber and the isopod’s eyes widened in pure fear.</p><p>It turned to look at something outside of Jazz’s periphery and it immediately fell to the floor in a dramatic bow. The footsteps halted and a chuckle sounded, deep and rich.</p><p>“Amazing how much meaning those words have lost.” A mech stepped into view, tall, lithe and with dark blue paint that rippled in the light like liquid darkness. Scarlet optics, one of them covered by a sniper enhancement covering, shone bright against a backdrop of mismatched scarred derma and the smile that he offered Jazz was particularly alarming.</p><p>But it was the purple insignia etched into his chest that caught the saboteur’s attention.</p><p>“Decepticon,” Jazz said, optics narrowing. “Fancy meeting one of you in this neck of the woods.”</p><p>“Jazz,” the mech said, and his suave voice carried hints of harmonics that reminded Jazz of Earth. He extended his arms, allowing Jazz to see just how scarred his plating was. Yellow biolights shone menacingly along his torso, hints of dried fluids caking the bottom of his feet. One of his arms was transformed into a rifle and judging by the deep scars near his elbow joint, it seemed to be permanent. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the infamous Autobot saboteur in person.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Jazz said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Though I can’t necessarily say the same for you.”</p><p>The Decepticon placed a hand over his chest, a faux expression of hurt crossing his face. “You wound me. And here I thought the war was finally over.”</p><p>Jazz scoffed. “I’m not the one standing outside of this cell,” he pointed out. His gaze flickered to the trembling isopod next to the Decepticon then back. “What exactly did you say your name was?”</p><p>“Shadelock,” the Decepticon answered, smiling. “Though I doubt you’ve heard of me. Megatron had me and my crew stationed away from Cybertron and Earth during the war, doing little odd jobs here and there.”</p><p>He was right. Jazz hadn’t heard of him but he’d always assumed Megatron had sent other terror groups apart from the DJD off world too. “Was one of those jobs terrorization of the species?”</p><p>Shadelock’s attention went to the Lenocinum at his feet and all affability disappeared from his features. He gave it a not-so-gentle nudge with his foot. “Get up,” he hissed, optics narrowing. The isopod obeyed without question, standing stiff and at attention beside him.</p><p>“That’s better,” Shadelock groused, patting its head roughly. He glanced up at Jazz, a challenge in his optics. “They’re astute little creatures, the Lenocinums. It just takes them showing them something once and they never forget it for the rest of their lives.”</p><p>Jazz’s optics narrowed. “You seemed to know an awful lot about them.”</p><p>“Me and my men were the ones who taught them everything they know about technology. They were ugly little scavengers when we first arrived, digging holes in the watery depths and eating whatever scraps they could find. But we gave them access to our tech upon realizing that they were resourceful and before long, they built up this planet into something worthwhile. They trade technology for food and medicine. Live longer than they ever dreamed of. And we offer them protection from everything.”</p><p>“What’s the catch?” Jazz asked, taking a few steps forward. “Hard to believe you did everythin’ from the good of your Spark alone.”</p><p>Shadelock’s smile widened. “Can’t you guess? They help us catch our bounties.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “We got rid of every major space port on the periphery, drained them dry so that bots travelling through Gpii had no other choice but to dock here on Lenocinum. We catch the ones we need, and make the useless ones disappear.”</p><p>“What about me?” Jazz asked, careful not to mention Soundwave or the others.</p><p>“You were an unexpected surprise.” Shadelock reassured him. “The Lenocinums have grown accustomed to seeing passing Decepticons but you are one of the first Autobots they’ve seen. I imagine they figured you were another target.”</p><p>“A common mistake,” Jazz mused. He cast a quick look at the cell bars, gauging for a weak point. There were no panels in view, no seams that he could try to pry open and mess with the cabling underneath.</p><p>Shadelock’s optics glinted. “Looking for a way out? Don’t bother. This container was built to withhold bots a lot stronger than you. It doesn’t break so easy.” He extended a hand to the isopod, who promptly handed him a small device. “Want to see some of its special features?”</p><p>Before Jazz could answer, Shadelock pressed a button on the remote and a shock of electricity swept through the entire cell, coursing through Jazz with enough force to bring him to his knees. When it finally stopped, he let out a sharp gasp and a wisp of smoke wafted out of his mouth.</p><p>His visor rebooted a couple times and it took him a moment to finally see through the static plaguing his vision. “Slag,” he muttered, wiping a trickle of Energon from the corner of his mouth.</p><p>“It is, isn’t it?” Shadelock preened, leaning forward to observe him. “And that was barely the lowest setting. But I’m not too inclined to kill you off just yet so that will have to wait.”</p><p>Jazz scowled. “You know you’ll never be able to step foot on Cybertron if you continue with this. Attacking diplomats, I wouldn’t be surprised if Megatron and Optimus shot your ship outta orbit.” He said, staggering to his feet. The pain was slowly subsiding, his advanced self-repair systems already beginning to heal the internal damage.</p><p>Shadelock’s optics darkened. “And who’s going to tell them? You?” He paused. “Or Soundwave?”</p><p>The saboteur stiffened but only for a second. “You sound awfully confident in your ability to handle us both, my mech. I’ll admit, you caught us by surprise but I will get out of this. Soundwave will find out where we are and he’s gonna arrive to see me pummeling you into scrap.”</p><p>The Decepticon tsked, waving the remote in his hand around. “I could say the same for you.” And he pressed the button once more.</p><p>Something in Jazz’s knees blew out from the surge of energy and an alarming sense of numbness began to claw at his lower legs. When the pain finally stopped, he gave himself a moment then forced himself to his feet. But it took him a while and when he finally stood up to his full height, error messages were scrolling down his HUD.</p><p>Moderate damage to his internal surge protectors and balancing gyros. His systems were hard at work trying to repair it but even Jazz knew that they couldn’t work miracles. As much as he hated to admit, he couldn’t handle another blast of energy like that. Unlike the measured bursts that skilled interrogators applied during torture sessions, these were wild and uninhibited.</p><p>Shadelock obviously wasn’t worrying about being careful.</p><p>Jazz carefully invented, hating the burning sensation in his vents the action procured. Things were a lot more complicated than Jazz had originally anticipated but that was alright. He appreciated a challenge.</p><p>Carefully, he lifted his gaze to meet the Decepticon’s and offered him a chaste smile. “Okay,” he said, lifting his hands in surrender. “I admit. You’ve got me between a rock and a hard place here.”</p><p>“There’s that infamous intelligence I’ve heard so much about,” Shadelock mocked, handing the remote back to the isopod. “I knew you’d come around.”</p><p>Jazz huffed. “Humor me one last time, would ya? What exactly are you planning to do with me?”</p><p>Shadelock grinned. “You’re a wanted bot in various parts of the galaxy, mech. I’m gonna choose the one with biggest bounty and if that doesn’t add up, there’s always the option of chopping you up into pieces and collecting individual ones.”</p><p>“Charming,” Jazz said, taking a seat in the middle of his cell. “But don’t forget to factor Soundwave into all of this. He’s a bit of a wildcard.”</p><p>“I’ve got a couple friends keeping him occupied,” Shadelock said flippantly. “By the time he figures out what’s going on, we’ll already be long gone. Or, even better, he'll be dead."</p><p>Jazz pursed his lips but said nothing else. Not that he was depending on Soundwave but Jazz had faith that he would see through whatever Shadelock sent his way.</p><p>---</p><p>“Boss? Boss! Talk to me. What’s going on?”</p><p>Soundwave ignored Ravage’s pleas as he made his way back to the <em>Tranquility, </em>focusing instead to send alerts to the rest of his symbionts via the quantum bond. They all pinged an affirmative and assured him that the ship was still safe and intact.</p><p>However, Pod had disappeared and the dock was surprisingly empty.</p><p>When they asked what prompted the questions, Soundwave relayed the situation to them as briefly as he could.</p><p>Panic and disbelief immediately flooded through the bond, the latter coming off particularly strong on Rumble’s end.</p><p><em>Wait a slagging second. You mean to tell me that </em>Jazz<em> of all mechs managed to get himself captured?</em></p><p>Soundwave replied. <em>Reason for Jazz’s absence, uncertain. Capture, is a probable cause. </em></p><p><em>I told him not to get too comfortable, </em>Ravage quipped, annoyance seeping into his tone.</p><p><em>Forget about the </em>what<em>, </em>Rumble interjected. <em>I wanna know </em>how<em> they did it. Jazz easily outweighs these bugs by like a couple tons. Are you telling me they bopped him on the head and dragged him away just like that?</em></p><p>That made Soundwave falter a bit and his optics narrowed as he remembered the drinks the bartender had served. They’d smelled odd, certainly not a concoction that Soundwave’s olfactory senses could identify. And Jazz had been the only one to consume them.</p><p>
  <em>Sedation via oral consumption, probable. </em>
</p><p>Rumble was silent. <em>They roofied his drink? Seriously? Who the slag are these guys?!</em></p><p><em>That’s what we’re going to find out.</em> Ravage replied and by the sound of it, he and Lazerbeak were the first to arrive back at the shuttle. Soundwave was still a few machnometers behind and he told them to wait for him to arrive before unlocking the shuttle.</p><p>By the time he got there, Ravage and Lazerbeak were converging near the closed docking ramp after conducting a brief sweep of the launch pad. No one else was present and though unsettling, Soundwave was glad for the lack of distractions.</p><p>Together, they boarded the <em>Tranquility</em> and Soundwave quickly sat in the piloting chair and booted up the shuttle’s systems. Shortly after take-off, Jazz had him, Soundwave and the symbionts input a small sample of their innermost Energon into the nav-com so that if they ever got lost, the ship’s instruments could lock onto their CNA signature and aid in search and rescue. </p><p>Soundwave pulled up Jazz’s file and initiated a primary scan. The monitor beeped monotonously and the electroreceptor box beside Jazz’s name remained ominously still as it pinged back negatives.</p><p>Rumble shuffled his feet. “You sure he’s not answering comms?” He asked Ravage.</p><p>The feline shook their head. “All we get is static. Wherever he is, communications are being blocked.”</p><p>Not long after the last word left his mouth, the electroreceptor started producing waves of activity and a positive hit was recorded.</p><p>Rumble let out a whoop of victory but it quickly died down when he noticed nobody else was joining in. He looked up at Soundwave, face worried. “What’s wrong, boss?”</p><p>“The nav-com locks onto our CNA,” Ravage replied when Soundwave’s silence stretched on. He stepped forward to stand by Rumble. “But our CNA is only detectable by the composition in our Energon.”</p><p>“So that means...?”</p><p>Ravage’s optics hardened. “That means his Energon’s been spilled.”</p><p>Before anyone could respond, a loud screeching noise filled the air and the ship gave a horrifying lurch as something collided with the starboard side. Rumble and Frenzy fell to their feet and Soundwave barely managed to keep himself upright by grabbing onto the console.</p><p>Ravage staggered past them and stood up beside their host mech, using his paw to turn on the ship’s cameras. A shadow appeared on the periphery of the cameras and as they watched, a huge lumbering mech sauntered into view, scarlet visor blazing, mandibles wiggling and half of its black armor littered with paint transfers from the <em>Tranquility</em>.</p><p>The air suddenly seemed to grow cold as they all realized what it was.</p><p>“An Insecticon?” Frenzy swore. “I thought those things were extinct.”</p><p>“Negative,” Soundwave replied, bringing the attention of his symbionts to him. He’d subspaced his rifle and was busy loading it with live power cell cartridges. Once the last one clicked into place, he disengaged the lock and rose from his seat.</p><p>Ravage hissed. “You’re not seriously going to out there and fight that thing, are you?”</p><p>“Affirmative,” Soundwave said coolly. When he stood beside the closed docking ramp, the ship gave another harsh lurch but the telepath endured it with the ease of a veteran. His hand hovered over the opening mechanism and he fixed the symbionts with a stern look.</p><p>“Soundwave, will handle Insecticon. Your objective, locate and assist Jazz.”</p><p>Rumble’s arms immediately transformed into their piledrivers and a look of determination crossed his face. “No way. We can help!”</p><p>“Negative,” Soundwave replied, voice adopting the authoritative tone he only reserved for serious occasions. “Rumble, will assist fellow symbionts. No exceptions.”</p><p>Frenzy stepped forward and pulled his brother back. “Come on, Rumble. The Boss knows what he’s doing.” Rumble hesitated for a moment but begrudgingly agreed. Together, he and the others took their positions among the cargohold inventory and prepared to make a break for the city once Soundwave cleared the way.</p><p>On the monitor screen, Soundwave could see the darkly colored Insecticon rearing up for another attack and he quickly activated the ramp mechanism, watching the way the beast’s assault was postponed as it watched the ramp descend. Soundwave slid down before it fully settled and came face to face with a beast that brought dark memories from the past resurfacing at startling speed.</p><p>Behind him, his symbionts slithered out under the cover of the shadows and made their way towards their objective. The Insecticon’s head tilted slightly to the side, catching sight of them and it let out a screech of indignation and launched itself at them.</p><p>Soundwave activated his thrusters and intercepted the beast in midair, hands grabbing onto the Insecticon’s arms and forcing them sharply backward as they fell back to the ground. The beast took the brunt of the impact and Soundwave quickly somersaulted away to a safe distance, crouching into a defensive position as the Insecticon jumped to its feet.</p><p>It didn’t offer Soundwave any time to take a breath and tore across the launch pad with the intent to tackle. Battlecomputer roaring to life, Soundwave dug his feet into the ground and caught the Insecticon’s massive claws before they could slash into him, the force of their collision making the delicate concrete crack underfoot.</p><p>“Razorhorn, strongessst.” It hissed, humid breath fogging up Soundwave’s visor.</p><p>Soundwave grunted harshly as the Insecticon exerted more force. “Negative. Soundwave, superior.” Adjusting his grip, Soundwave pulled a leg back and struck the inside of one of the Decepticon’s knees, forcing it to buckle. Off balance, the Decepticon fell forward and Soundwave brought up his knee in time to land a decisive kick to the Insecticon’s jaw.</p><p>An arc of Energon spurted into the air and it let out a shriek of pain as it tumbled backwards onto the floor.</p><p>Soundwave quickly pointed his rifle at its chest, visor flashing dangerously. His hands were trembling from a couple damaged circuits and hairline fractures and his fans were roaring but otherwise he was unhurt.</p><p>“Yield,” he intoned dangerously.</p><p>The beast’s visor flared at the word and it bared its teeth in a snarl. “Never!”</p><p>“Course of action, unwise.” Soundwave warned, priming his rifle. It whirred to life and the barrel glowed as the ion bolt warmed up in the firing chamber. “Surrender, guarantees your continued existence.”</p><p>“Razerhorn, does not yield to traitorssss.”</p><p>Soundwave took a step forward, until the barrel of his blaster touched the broad chestplate of the Insecticon. “Cybertronian war, over. Soundwave, is not a traitor.”</p><p>“War is never over,” the Insecticon disparaged. “Autobotssss, alwaysss enemy.”</p><p>“Current beliefs, incorrect.” Soundwave replied, finger hovered over the trigger.</p><p>“Isss it?” It hissed, mandibles twitching into something resembling a smile. “How unfortunate for the Autobot.”</p><p>Soundwave’s visor flared and he slammed his foot down on the Decepticon’s abdomen, his heel digging into the soft protometal with an audible crunch. “You will reveal Jazz’s location, immediately.”</p><p>“Under what authority?” Soundwave glanced over his shoulder at the sound of the new voice and his visor flared in alarm upon seeing another mech standing a few feet away, aiming a large sniper rifle directly at Soundwave’s helm.</p><p>The telepath stiffened but held his position. “State designation.”</p><p>The red mech’s yellow optics narrowed behind their own scarlet visor, mouth twisting in a sneer. “RoughEdge,” he identified, voice unusually scratchy. “Though something tells me you already know that. Don’t you, lieutenant?”</p><p>Soundwave’s engine revved menacingly. Of course, he knew him. Soundwave had been the one responsible for relaying him and his compatriots their missions when they’d first gone off world. After the war moved to Earth, they’d lost contact and Megatron had preferred to focus on directing the DJD instead. The Insecticon was a new addition but Soundwave remembered who the ringleader of this particular group was.</p><p>“RoughEdge,” Soundwave intoned. “Soundwave, correct to assume Shadelock is also involved?”</p><p>That made the red and black mech smirk. “Oh, yeah. He’s currently providing that Autobot you came with some nice Lenocinum hospitality. He sends his regards.” Features hardening, he gestured for him to move with a sharp jerk of his weapon. “But we’ll get to that later. I want you off my friend there first.”</p><p>Soundwave shook his helm. “Soundwave, requires Jazz’s location first.”</p><p>RoughEdge’s weapon gave a small whine as it warmed up and he took a menacing step forward. “You don’t get off Razerhorn and your little Autobot is scrap.”</p><p>“Jazz, capable of fending for himself.”</p><p>The Decepticon shook his head and chuckled darkly. “Says the mech who always let him get away.”</p><p>Soundwave reacted in an instant. The moment RoughEdge fired, he jerked his upper torso back and the ion bolt whizzed past his face, singing the edge of his faceplate. RoughEdge let out a growl and immediately began to reload and from his peripheral vision, Soundwave noticed Razerhorn scrambling to grab his foot.</p><p>He activated his thrusters and the heat from the flames forced the Insecticon back with a wail of pain. Once he was in the air, Soundwave had a better view of both enemies and his shoulder quickly locked on to both and fired.</p><p>Razerhorn ducked for cover behind a crate and RoughEdge sniped each missle aimed at him out of the air. He jolted his head up to look at Soundwave. “You’re making a huge mistake!” he yelled. “Things didn’t have to go this way.”</p><p>Soundwave aimed his own rifle at him. “Negative.” He replied. “RoughEdge, should have cooperated.” Then he fired.</p><p>---</p><p>Rumble came to a stop underneath a flickering holodisplay, glancing back with a look of concern etched on his features. “We should go back.”</p><p>Ravage, who’d been leading the group cast a sympathetic look over his shoulder. “We can’t. We need to find Jazz.”</p><p>“But it’s two against one!” Rumble retorted, glaring at the feline. “And he sealed off his part of the bond. He never does that unless it’s an emergency!”</p><p>Frenzy sighed in exasperation. “Bro, you know that’s what he does when we go on separate missions. It’s help both of us focus.” He reached out and grabbed his twin’s arm, pulling him a couple steps forward. “He’s fine. He’s the Boss, remember? We’ve all been through worse things.”</p><p>Rumble looked like he wanted to argue but the combined weight of his peers’ gazes seemed to be enough to convince him. He closed his optics and cycled a ventilation, releasing it dramatically before squaring his shoulders. “Okay,” he said, a little more determinedly. “Let’s go.”</p><p>With all five of them finally focused, they arrived at the last place that Jazz had been seen before disappearing: the plaza. Naturally, it was closed. Absent of vendors and buyers alike but a quick aerial scan performed by Buzzsaw revealed that there were a few lights turned on in the back, where only vendors came and left.</p><p>“Rumble and I can sneak in and scope things out,” Frenzy offered, peering around their hiding spot. “We’re small enough to squeeze through that vent beside the door.”</p><p>Ravage shook his head from his place near the ground perimeter. “I’ll go,” he said. “I doubt interrogation will work on these creatures so I’ll have to sniff out what happened.” Lazerbeak chirred her agreement of that plan.</p><p>Buzzsaw’s squawk suddenly filtered through their comms, a warning, and all of them whirled around at the sound of hesitant footsteps behind them.</p><p>The darkness made it difficult to see but every single one of them had specialized optics that allowed them to get a good look at the new arrival. It was an isopod, scarred and missing the top part of one of its antennas.</p><p>Ravage hissed, taking a step forward and ushering the others behind him. “Who are you?”</p><p>“Jep.” The isopod said, shame written all over its face. Its eyes swept over them, looking like it wanted to say something.</p><p>“What do you want?” Ravage demanded, beginning to circle the isopod with narrowed optics. His claws extracted and clinked loudly on the floor.</p><p>“Jep will lead way to friend.” It said, flinching when Ravage growled at the last word.</p><p>Rumble grimaced, shouldering his way past his peers. “How do we know this isn’t another trap?”</p><p>Jep paused, little hands wringing in a familiar nervous manner. “Jep...Jep do right thing.”</p><p>All the symbionts exchanged wary looks. But it was eventually Rumble who spoke first. “Then lead the way,” he said sternly. The isopod perked up but Rumble reached out and grabbed one of its arms, pulling it forward so that their faces were inches away.</p><p>“We’re placing our trust in you. So you do anything to slag that up and you’ll regret it.”</p><p>Jep could do nothing but nod once, eyes wide and frantic. When Rumble released it, it took a step back and motioned for them to follow.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jep led the symbionts through the streets with ease, scurrying with a speed that forced all of them to follow at a brisk walk. They were taken to a large spherical building on the outskirts of the city and even from afar, they could see that it was bustling with activity.</p><p>A thin metal gate wrapped around the structure and several isopods stood on guard in front of it. All let out squeaks of surprise upon seeing them and they aimed their energy prods at the symbionts, angrily demanding to know what exactly Jep was doing with them.</p><p>Jep took a step forward and gestured for them to lower their weapons, saying something in their own language. The others seemed hesitant and jabbed their weapons, shaking their heads vehemently. But for all their ardent displays of assertion, the look of fear in their eyes was hard to miss.</p><p>It was obvious to Ravage that it wasn’t them they were worried about. He took a step forward, claws sheathed and posture as nonthreatening as possible. “We can help,” he said slowly, sweeping his gaze over the collected isopods. “Whoever is threatening you, I assure we can handle them.”</p><p>“Cybertronian.” Jep said softly.</p><p>Ravage turned to look at him. “Yes,” he said. “I am.”</p><p>“No,” another isopod interjected, its grip on the energy prod tightening. “Others. Cybertronians here. Enemies.”</p><p>That made Ravage pause and he cast a glance over his shoulder at the others. Rumble and Frenzy looked mildly perplexed but realization quickly dawned over their faces.</p><p>“I think they mean that there are other Cybertronians here,” Frenzy muttered. “More than the two the Boss is currently fighting.”</p><p>“But how many?” Rumble asked, looking at the guarding isopods. “One, two? A whole fragging army?”</p><p>“Just one,” Jep replied when his companions refused to speak. “But baddest of all.” Shuddering, he continued. “He kill to kill. Does anything for credits.”</p><p>“What’s his name?”</p><p>A pause. “Shadelock.”</p><p>Lazerbeak squawked as the name pinged a positive in her memory archives. Ravage stiffened and cycled a ventilation as he recognized the name too. But unlike his peers, he wasn’t completely shaken. A tiny part of him was even elated.</p><p>He’d been anticipating someone worse.</p><p>“We know Shadelock,” Ravage said. “True, he’s ruthless but he’s the kind of bot who does things only when they benefit him. He’s not masochistic by nature.” He gestured for everyone to gather around him with a sweep of his tail. “I think I know how we can handle him.”</p><p>---</p><p>Jazz stifled a hiss as pain tore through his frame, the circuit dampeners doing very little to help him keep his focus. Shadelock’s finger released the button and the pain immediately subsided, allowing Jazz time to turn let out a ragged exvent.</p><p>He turned his helm to look at the Decepticon and gritted his teeth. “Having...fun?”</p><p>Shadelock blinked. “Not really. I don’t particularly enjoy doing this but it has to be done.”</p><p>Jazz chuckled dryly, shakily propping himself into a sitting position. He surveyed his frame for damage and noticed that the most severe was that mobility in his right leg was down to 34%. The rest of his injuries, he concluded, were inconsequential. He’d dragged himself out of a Decepticon bunker once after both his legs had been blown up by a hidden landmine once; compared to that, his current predicament was nothing.</p><p>“What exactly are you waiting for?”</p><p>Shadelock sighed. “Confirmation. I can’t begin the transportation process knowing Soundwave is still out there. Once RoughEdge gives the all-clear, we’ll be on our way.”</p><p>“Ah,” Jazz nodded. “The whole divide and conquer thing. Textbook bad guy stuff.”</p><p>“I could press this button one more time,” Shadelock warned, sounding impatient. “And your internal repair systems would fry.”</p><p>Jazz pursed his lips. “Thought you needed me alive?”</p><p>“I do,” Shadelock muttered. “But there’s more than enough bounties asking for you dead.” A soft chitter made him glance behind him and Jazz craned his neck to see an isopod approaching the bounty hunter. Its body was riddled with scars and one of its antennae appeared to be much shorter than the other.</p><p>Narrowing his optics, Jazz realized it was the very same bug that had led Soundwave out of the plaza with the promise of fuel for the <em>Tranquility</em>. It seemed to recognize him because its eyes kept glancing over to him and when their gazes met, it was quick to lower its head.</p><p>“What do you want?” Shadelock asked, turning to face it.</p><p>The isopod shuffled in place, looking mightily uncomfortable. “Jep, brings delivery.”</p><p>“Delivery?” Shadelock echoed and he went silent as a couple more bugs crept from the shadows towards them with four familiar faces in tow.</p><p>Jazz back straightened. “Rav?” He directed his question at the feline standing between the Decetpicon and his peers, all of whom had their hands tied and very angry looks on their face.</p><p>Ravage glanced at him, upper lip curled into a sneer. “I told you not to get comfortable,” he hissed sharply. “But you never listen, do you?”</p><p>Shrugging a shoulder, Jazz smiled. “Didn’t anticipate the killer intent under all the cuteness.”</p><p>Rumble scoffed. “Heard ya were dumb enough to drink something before testing it,” he said, craning his neck to look at him. “Rumor is ya dropped like a fly.”</p><p>Shadelock stuck a hand out between them, cutting the conversation short. “Sorry to interrupt this reunion,” he said, glaring down at the scarred isopod with a narrowed optics. “But aren’t there supposed to be five of them?”</p><p>“Buzzsaw had the sense to fly off when we got captured,” Frenzy spat. “Probably went to go help the boss finish up that ugly Insecticon you sicced on him.”</p><p>For an instant, there was silence but then a resounding clang echoed through the room as Shadelock’s fist connected with the symbiont’s face. There wasn’t enough force to send the small bot flying but it made his helm snap back sharply and a small spray of Energon misted into the air.</p><p>Ravage retaliated by lunging at Shadelock’s arm but his jaws had barely grazed the mech’s arm before the guarding isopods dug their energy prods into him and unleashed enough energy to make the feline drop.</p><p>Jazz was on his feet in an instant, visor flashing dangerously. “Don’t touch them.”</p><p>Shadelock turned to look at him, smiling. “I thought you were too damaged to move properly.” Huffing, he reached down to scan Ravage and tsked loudly. “Don’t worry. He’s not dead, just rebooting.” Frenzy was holding his hands to his face, Energon staining his chestplates, and he looked positively livid. Rumble, however was startling silent.</p><p>Sure, he looked angry but after having just witnessed someone punching his twin, Jazz expected him to be frothing at the mouth. But all he did was gently support his brother, making sure that the damage was only superficial. When Shadelock snapped his fingers and ordered the isopods to lock them in another cell, Rumble’s gaze met Jazz’s.</p><p>And then he winked.</p><p>As if on cue, a screech sounded in the air and a flash of gold swept from the ceiling towards Shadelock’s face, clawing and slashing with a ferocity that caught the Decepticon off guard. The other symbionts tackled him to the ground and Frenzy, nose dented and face bloody, ripped the control to Jazz’s cell out of his hand.</p><p>The symbiont pressed a button and the cell bars immediately fell away, giving Jazz the opportunity to make a break for it. But no sooner had the saboteur taken a step forward that Shadelock’s hand suddenly reached out from the pile of mechs and latched onto Frenzy’s leg.</p><p>“What the--?!” Frenzy let out a yell as he was yanked backwards and the remote fell out of his hands. Ravage jumped out of the fray and bit Shadelock’s hand, forcing the mech to let go of the red and black symbiont.</p><p>The iospods looked on with a mixture of fear and horror, their grips on their energy prods tightening. When Jazz stepped foot outside of the cell, the one named Jep ran over to him and began to look him over.</p><p>“Hurt?” It asked, repeating the word ceaselessly as its hands hovered over Jazz’s frame. A small gasp escaped it when it caught sight of the ugly scorch marks on his frame, particularly those exposing the circuits of his injured leg joint.</p><p>Jazz grimaced. “I’ve got one bum leg, lagging repair systems and I think my fuel tank’s sprung a leak.” He coughed, wiping his lips when a trickle of Energon came out the corner of his mouth. “But other than that, I’m just peachy.”</p><p>Jep looked relieved. “Jep apology.”</p><p>“You’re good,” Jazz said. “Just hand me a weapon, would ya?”</p><p>One of the other isopods came up to him and offered him an energy prod. “This?”</p><p>Jazz took it and weighed it in his hands, figuring out how to use it in a microsecond. “It’ll do.” He said and immediately turned to face the Decepticon.</p><p>Shadelock had managed to get to his feet but Frenzy and Rumble had a hold on his leg and head, and he was struggling to keep Ravage’s snapping jaws from closing around his intakes. Buzzsaw was a couple feet away on the floor, one wing twisted and a frantic Lazerbeak keeping watch over her twin.</p><p>“Get his rifle,” Jazz ordered and within moments, the red and black aerial swooped into the fight and gripped the Decepticon’s weapon with her talons. She flapped her wings and pulled, the top part of the weapon giving away with enough force to fracture the barrel.</p><p>Shadelock let out a scream of fury and began to fight even harder, dislodging Frenzy with a kick and Ravage with a well-aimed headbutt.</p><p>When they were clear, Shadelock reached up and ripped Rumble off his head, holding the symbiont to his chest and pointing the broken rifle at his head.</p><p>“Enough!” He snarled, taking several steps back. “Or I’ll blow his head off!”</p><p>Rumble struggled in his grip, hissing and spitting. “Do it and the Boss is gonna kill ya!”</p><p>Shadelock scoffed sarcastically. “You think I’m scared of Soundwave?” He asked. “After seeing how easily the Autobot’s infamous saboteur fell apart in an electrified cell, I can only imagine what kind of challenge your so-called Boss would offer me.” His grip tightened and he grinned. “RoughEdge and Razerhorn say it’s only a matter of time before they put a bullet in his head.”</p><p>The symbionts all tensed at the statement but Jazz took a step forward, ignoring the shooting pain that traveled up his injured side. “Liar,” he said, bringing the cassettes attention to him.</p><p>Shadelock’s optics darkened. “Don’t believe me?”</p><p>Jazz narrowed his optics. “It’s two against one, my mech. And Soundwave is still alive and kicking. If anything, it sounds like you’re making your mechs out to be more than what they really are.”</p><p>For a moment, Shadelock merely stared at him but his face slowly returned to that guileless expression he’d had since first appearing. “You’re definitely one for making jokes, aren’t you?” He said, slowly and meticulously. His rifle gave a low whine as it powered up, broken barrel digging into the side of Rumble’s head.</p><p>Jazz stepped to the side and dragged his injured leg behind him. “I try to lighten the mood,” he responded. “Keep the troops’ spirits up and all.”</p><p>Shadelock glowered. “We’ll see if you have anything to laugh about when I blow this tiny bot’s processors out all over the floor.” The air suddenly tasted of that familiar ozone that appeared moments before a weapon was fired, making everyone's derma crawl.</p><p>Ravage and Frenzy yelled at the Decepticon to stop, reminding him that the broken state of his weapon would take the both of them out. Rumble struggled even harder, optics widening when he realized that perhaps this was it and he was going to die in the hands of an enemy.</p><p>It happened in an instant. One moment, all the cassettes had been prepared to see the death of one of their own but then the next, Shadelock was being thrown hallway across the room as his rifle exploded, enveloping him in a flash of blue and green.</p><p>Ravage and the others tensed, expecting the familiar pain of a broken bond but it never came. All optics turned to the spot that Shadelock had previously been occupying and they all let out sighs of relief upon seeing Jazz standing there, Rumble safely in his arms.</p><p>“How?!” Frenzy demanded, running over to his twin. Jazz let the blue symbiont down gently but as soon as Rumble was safe in Frenzy’s arms, he fell to his knees with a pained groan.</p><p>Both cassettes looked at him with concern. “Jazz?” They swept their optics over Jazz’s frame and they gasped softly upon seeing his injured leg hanging by mere struts. Fresh Energon was dripping out of the widened aperture and even the slightest movement made the saboteur hiss in pain.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Jazz said through gritted teeth, slowly adjusting himself until he was sitting on the floor.</p><p>“What did you do?” Rumble demanded. “One moment you were over there and then you were here but I didn’t even see you!”</p><p>Jazz laughed. “Got a few upgrades up my sleeve,” he said, wincing. “Busted up my leg real good using them, though.”</p><p>Rumble looked like he wanted to question him further but one look at the leg had any resolve in him dissolving in an instant. Instead, he reached out to place his hand on Jazz’s arm and gave it an awkward pat. “Thanks.”</p><p>Ravage appeared on Jazz’s other side, a slight scowl on his face. “Shadelock is in stasis,” he reported. “The blast from his rifle knocked him out and the impact rattled his processors. He’s missing an arm but the heat cauterized his wound so he’s in no risk of bleeding out. He’ll live.”</p><p>“Good,” Jazz said. “Better we take him in alive than have to explain what happened here.”</p><p>Frenzy jerked his helm back in surprise. “Are you kidding? He tried to kill Rumble. Let the slagger offline!”</p><p>“We can’t,” Ravage said, narrowing his optics. “We’re no longer at war. The consequences for killing another mech, even one like Shadelock, are infinitely more severe.”</p><p>“Not if we hide the body,” Rumble muttered under his breath.</p><p>“We’ve got witnesses,” Ravage reminded him and everyone’s optics turned to the isopods, who were converging on their position with looks of awe. Jep lead the way, black eyes shining brightly.</p><p>“Bad mech dead?”</p><p>Jazz smiled, shaking his head. “No, but he ain’t gonna bother you anymore.”</p><p>A ripple passed through the bugs and they turned to look at one another with thinly veiled hope, antennas wiggling.</p><p>Jazz turned to Ravage. “Any updates on Soundwave?”</p><p>Ravage closed his optics, delving into the quantum bond he shared with his host. A crease of worry appeared between his optics but it quickly smoothed over. “He’s still alive,” he said softly. “And it appears that he has one of the mechs in custody as well. The Insecticon is dead.”</p><p>“Any injuries?” Jazz asked.</p><p>“If you’re asking if he’s fit to come pick you up, then the answer is yes.” Ravage quipped, the corner of his mouth lifting into a makeshift a smile. “He’ll be here in a couple astroseconds.”</p><p>“What happen now?” Both turned to look at Jep, who’d asked the question.</p><p>Jazz sighed. “Now, we get in contact with our people and see about what we have to do in order to get the prisoners back to Cybertron. From there, I guess it’s going to be up to you guys to figure out how to operate without Cybertronians looming over you.”</p><p>“Lenocinum free?”</p><p>Contemplating the question, Jazz shook his head. “Not completely,” he said, carefully choosing his words. “There will be a time for recovery and the bad memories are going to make it difficult to move on. But you’re free to make your own choices now so you get to decide how you want to live your lives.”</p><p>The isopod chirred. “Jep like.” The others echoed their agreement.</p><p>---</p><p>Soundwave arrived in the time he’d specified and was quick to swoop in and check up on all his symbionts. Buzzsaw's wing was carefully righted and the cassette was placed into Soundwave's docking chmaber to rest and recuperate. Jazz smiled upon seeing that apart from a few slashes and dents, the telepath was relatively unharmed.</p><p>“Jazz, alright?” Soundwave asked as he knelt down beside Jazz and looked over his injuries, focusing on the Energon soaked mess that was his knee. One of his fingers brushed over an exposed joint and it took all of Jazz’s self-control not to yelp.</p><p>“I’m alive,” Jazz reassured him. “But I’m thinking that I’m gonna have to see a medic for this.”</p><p>Rumble appeared at Soundwave’s elbow, lips twisted to one side. “More like a frame specialist. The injury looks strut deep.” There was a hint of shame in his voice and the saboteur playfully rolled his optics in response.</p><p>“You’re not feeling bad for me, are ya, Rumble?”</p><p>The blue symbiont sniffed. “Of course not. I'm just impatient cause all of this is gonna set us back by like five decacycles.”</p><p>“If Jazz had let you kick the can we would have never had the chance to finish our mission,” Ravage retorted, coming up behind his peer. “Show a bit of tact, would you?”</p><p>Rumble stuck out his glossa at the feline but a look from Soundwave had him rolling it right back into his mouth.</p><p>Soundwave was no medic but he had experience fixing up his symbionts and was able to cauterize the worst of the leaks and procure a makeshift splint for Jazz’s knee. It helped Jazz put less pressure when he stood up but it made it difficult to walk. One uneasy step and he’d nearly fallen flat on his face and it was only Soundwave reaching out to catch him that kept him steady.</p><p>After several failed attempted to wobble away, Soundwave eventually ran out patience and scooped Jazz up into his arms.</p><p>“Hey!” Jazz exclaimed, visor brightening in surprise. “Kinda early to be sweeping me off my feet, ain’t it?”</p><p>Soundwave sighed. “Jazz, wishes to walk?”</p><p>Jazz thought about it for a moment then shook his head. “Guess not,” he said.</p><p>They’d intended to head straight back to the <em>Tranquility</em> to contact Cybertron and scourge their inventory for medical supplies but the isopods were quick to usher them to a different location. At first, Jazz thought they intended on showing them some display of gratitude but when they entered the building, they realized it was a medical center. Technology that Jazz had only seen in Shockwave’s labs lined the walls and there were even a couple CR chambers situated in the middle of the room they were brought into.</p><p>“Decepticon technology?” Jazz asked, turning to look at Soundwave.</p><p>The telepath nodded. “Soundwave, recognizes designs. Utility, ultra-efficient.”</p><p>“Well, good.” Jazz said, watching as the isopods prepped the tank and ushered for him to be placed inside. “That makes me feel better about using them.” Within a couple of minutes, Jazz had been attached to a vent filter and submerged into the dark blue liquid.</p><p>Soundwave stood watch, carefully observing the bugs as they monitored the controls. The rest of his cassettes left with another group of isopods to round up the remaining bounty hunters, eager to finally be doing something to get them off the planet.</p><p>Ravage was the only to stay behind, watching with Soundwave as Jazz’s powered down frame floated in the tank.</p><p>“He’s going to be fine.” The feline told him, words meant more as reassurance than statement of fact. Ravage could detect the turmoil of emotions drifting in from Soundwave’s side of the bond, worry and gratitude being the most prominent.</p><p>“He saved Rumble,” Ravage said softly. “Nearly blew his own leg off doing so. But he knew what he was doing.”</p><p>“Jazz, selfless.”</p><p>“Only when it comes to us.”</p><p>Soundwave glanced down to look at Ravage with a surprised look and the feline met it with a knowing one of his own. But he let the subject as quickly as it’d been brought up. “Though to be honest, he’s always had an obvious preference for that blue idiot of ours so maybe that has something to do with that.”</p><p>Soundwave nodded, amusement briefly flickering through the bond. “Affirmative.”</p><p>---</p><p>It took approximately two solar cycles for the CR chamber to repair Jazz’s leg and when he was finally let out, the limp in his gait was all but gone. However, newly regenerated struts took time to integrate and the isopod who’d overlooked Jazz’s care told him to take it easy.</p><p>“Stretch much,” it reminded as it walked Jazz to the <em>Tranquility</em>. “Lot. Make joint strong.”</p><p>Jazz chuckled, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” They arrived to the docking bay see Rumble and Frenzy lugging two large metal boxes, a trail of isopods right behind helping them push. Soundwave was carrying boxes of supplies into the cargo hold and when he came down for the rest, he was the first to catch sight of Jazz.</p><p>He paused. “Jazz, healed?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Jazz nodded. He stopped and lightly bounced from leg to leg. “Good as new.” A slight twinge made him stop, wincing. “Well, almost.” His gaze went from Soundwave’s concerned face to the boxes the symbionts were boarding. “What’re those?”</p><p>“Stasis pods,” Soundwave supplied. “Lenocinums, provided for transportation of prisoners.”</p><p>“Oh,” Jazz straightened up. “Have you managed to get in contact with Cybertron yet?”</p><p>“Negative.” Soundwave bent down to pick up another box, hoisting it up with ease.</p><p>Jazz smiled. “Bad reception?”</p><p>Soundwave hesitated. “Negative. Reception, optimal.”</p><p>“Then what’s wrong?”</p><p>“...Jazz, should contact Cybertron. Soundwave, will finish loading procedures.” Before Jazz could ask what he meant by that, the telepath turned on his heel and continued with his task. Jazz watched him go, a confused look on his face.</p><p>“Mate mad.” The isopod at Jazz’s feet said, looking up at him.</p><p>“He’s not my mate,” Jazz said, shaking his head. “Sorry to break it to ya but we’re just friends.”</p><p>The isopod chortled, mandibles twitching. “Untruth.”</p><p>Jazz scoffed. “What?”</p><p>“Wave look after for days.” It said, matter-of-factly, using the Lenocinum vernacular for Soundwave's name. “Stand guard. No sleep. Look after.”</p><p>Jazz shrugged. “Well,” he said, looking up to see Soundwave helping Rumble and Frenzy up the docking ramp. “I did save one of his cassettes. Host mechs are pretty strict about repaying debts.”</p><p>“Act for debt?”</p><p>“No,” Jazz replied. “I genuinely like the little glitches.”</p><p>The isopod said nothing else as Jazz made his way onboard the <em>Tranquility</em>, following silently as Jazz weaved his way through the busy cargohold and sat down in the piloting chair. It took a couple minutes for him to boot up the comm system and then some for the small system to make a connection.</p><p>When it did, the message was received on the first ping and the monitor screen booted up to reveal Jazz’s communication partner.</p><p>Jazz reflexively straightened his posture. “Hey, Prowl.”</p><p>“Jazz,” Prowl echoed, sounding vaguely displeased. “You were due for a report three solar cycles ago.”</p><p>“Yeah, about that. We kinda got ourselves into a bit of trouble.”</p><p>“Trouble?” Prowl raised an optic ridge, a skeptical look on his face.</p><p>Jazz rubbed the back of his neck abashedly. “We ran into some bounty hunters. They caught me and Soundwave by surprise but we were able to fend them off with some help from the locals.”</p><p>Prowl grimaced. “Where are you?”</p><p>“Lenocinum.”</p><p>Muttering the word, Prowl turned off screen to look the name of the planet up and his optics narrowed at the data he discovered. “By our records, that planet is inhabited by non-sentient species.”</p><p>“It was,” Jazz nodded. “But the Decepticons kind of helped push the evolutionary process along for them.”</p><p>Doorwings hitching up high on his back, Prowl asked. “The locals have access to Cybertronian technology?”</p><p>“A modified version of it,” Jazz said, dropping his affable tone. He could see where the conversation was headed and the bug sitting at Jazz’s feet immediately stiffened. Thankfully he was not visible or else Prowl really would have had no reason to withhold the disdain that was all but dripping from his words. “But they’ve modified it to their own standards. Really low level stuff, if I’m honest.”</p><p>Prowl’s optics narrowed. “Regardless, the presence of our technology on other worlds is cause for investigation.” He subspaced a datapad and began writing into it. “I’ll have Ironhide organize a team to head over there when an opportunity presents itself.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>The stylus in Prowl’s hand stilled and the Praxian slowly lifted his helm to look at Jazz. “What?”</p><p>“No,” Jazz repeated, leaning forward to rest his hands on the console. “That’s not gonna fly.”</p><p>Prowl pinched the bridge of his nose, as if staving off a headache and sighed. “I’m going to pretend that you’re actually following protocol and ask you what you mean by that.”</p><p>“I'm taking responsibility,” Jazz said, clasping his hands together. “I’m advocating for them.”</p><p>The corners of Prowl’s lips lifted up slightly but when Jazz failed to laugh, his mouth fell into that typical pursed line of contempt. “You know what that means, right? Any slipup on the Lenocinums behalf falls on your shoulders. You will take the blame and suffer the consequences for any misuse of our technology.”</p><p>“I know the rules,” Jazz said. He cycled a ventilation, exventing heavily. “Just...do whatever needs to be done for that to get through. No investigations, no occupations. These guys have had enough of that already.”</p><p>Prowl shifted in his seat. “You sound like you’re well acquainted with them.”</p><p>“Not everyone’s an enemy, Prowler.” Jazz said, voice soft.  </p><p>Something in Prowl’s disposition changed. Whether it was Jazz's softer tone or the familiar nickname, it was hard to tell but the sharpness of his features mellowed out. “You better not mess this up,” he said.</p><p>Jazz ground his teeth briefly. “I won’t.” He paused. “What are we going to do about the two bounty hunters we caught?”</p><p>“You’ll take them to Pova.” Prowl said and upon seeing Jazz’s confused expression, he added. “Ultra Magnus is currently there and his ship is better equipped for prisoner transport. And besides, Pova is closer to Lenocinum than Cybertron. Meet him there, drop off the prisoners and then continue with your original mission.”</p><p>Nodding, Jazz offered a tentative smile. “Great. I’ll tell Soundwave.”</p><p>Prowl’s optic ridges furrowed slightly at the mention of the telepath but he nodded once. “You do that,” he said in his typical cold manner. The line cut off abruptly and Jazz was soon left staring at an empty screen.</p><p>“Trouble?” The Lenocinum said from his place on the floor. There was an uncertain edge to its words, as if anticipating the worst.</p><p>Jazz shook his helm. “No,” he said, feeling like a huge weight had been added to his shoulders. He turned around to see how the loading process was faring and perked up when he saw that Soundwave was finishing loading the last of the boxes. The telepath patted it into place and turned to look at Jazz, red visor warm.</p><p>“We’ve got our orders,” Jazz informed him. He rose to his feet, carefully keeping his balance by holding onto the chair. “Looks like there’s gonna be a slight change of plans.”</p><p>There was anticipation on Jazz’s part to hear Soundwave ask what exactly those changes entailed but instead, the telepath merely dipped his helm. “Soundwave and cassettes, ready.”’</p><p>Jazz smiled in relief. "Good. Cause I hear Pova's quite nice during this time in the solar cycle."</p>
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